Mashin Eiyuuden Wataru Tenseigai-hen: Angel's Pillar
by lalunafelis
Summary: Mashin Eiyuuden Wataru(魔神英雄伝ワタル) and Love Live! Crossover. After a tragic car accident leaves him orphaned, Wataru Ikusabe finds himself, as directed in his parents' will, being placed under the guardianship of a mysterious foreign woman residing in Tokyo. And it seems to be connected to his being the Kyuseishu(World Saviour) of that other realm, Shinbu-kai...or is it?
1. You are the Saviour(Part 1)

Standard disclaimers: Mashin Eiyuuden Wataru is © Sunrise/Red Entertainment/Asatsu/VAP; Love Live ©Sunrise/ASCII Media Works. This work of fiction is strictly a fan's expression and is not meant to be profited from.

And also, it's mainly Mashin Eiyuuden Wataru characters that are featured in the first half, and the Love Live characters won't appear until the second half of the story (save for one, watch out for her!).

* * *

 _Where…..am I?_

The first things his senses met were the bright blur of the fluorescent lamps, and the scent of antiseptics. It was all so sudden; he was caught unawares of everything that happened to him. Everything has become incomprehensible that even the words of the people around him were just adding up to his confusion.

"Finally, he woke up. It's been a full week that he's out!"

"Hey kid, can you hear me?"

Finally, his eyes had adjusted well enough that he is able to realize where he is: in a hospital room and he was surrounded by doctors and nurses. His gaze shifted to one of the doctors at his bedside who said, "Kid, I know it's all of a sudden, but you'll be here for the meantime. We tried to call up your relatives but none of them seems interested in checking on you and your family."

"Unbelievable," went one of the nurses, "they're so heartless! How can they just discard you like that, like you're not family. For the meantime, you will be staying with us until you're well enough to walk."

Everything is an incomprehensible mess to him at that point. Nothing made sense. At one moment, he was riding home with his parents after a long night of celebrating over his elementary graduation and the next thing; he's suddenly in this room with complete strangers. _What the hell is going on?_

"I…don't understand," he said weakly, barely able to gargle out his words thru his respirator, "…what's going on? What happened…to me? Where….where's Mom and Dad?"

The doctors and nurses uneasily looked at one another, unsure if they can let him take the seemingly bad news. Finally, the lone male doctor took it upon himself to break it to him. "Kid, I know this is all so sudden. You will definitely not take this well, but I hope that you are strong enough."

"You and your parents got into a traffic accident. You're lucky that you survived with minimal damage, but your parents…."

It was all too unreal. Even if he perfectly understood what the doctor meant; that his parents are dead and they are no longer coming back, it all rang hollow in his mind. Even when after his stay in the hospital days after, when he finally got to see his parents propped up in their respective coffins and their relatives and his schoolmates coming to pay respects and condolences, nothing registered in his mind…or his heart. Nothing was real to him. It all played like a nightmare that he does not want to have anything to do with, yet it has no resonance to him, in such as it did not strike any semblance of emotion from him. To him, it was like he was watching in the middle of a good movie but got cut midway in the emotional climax, and only got back to the epilogue when everything was over. It was all a disconnected mess to him. It was all too easy to misinterpret this seeming lack of emotion, as can be overheard from the conversation of his relatives.

"He's not even crying, even when he first saw his parents' corpses! He just nodded like it's nothing."

"And he's just not responding to anything that we say. I'm definitely not going to have anything to do with that child!"

"How can you say that? He just has not gotten around to accepting his parents' death yet. He'll get around it eventually…"

"But you're not taking him in either right?"

"Yeah, that's right. I just have too many kids to handle…but I'm pretty sure the Child Welfare Services will take care of him, right?"

Even during the memorial service and cremation, this kind of talk still persisted with his relatives. Not that he cared about it that much: he's aware that his parents are not exactly that popular with his relatives, and are only attending due to social obligations. He would rather deal with the social case workers who started showing up regularly at his doorstep: at least, they are coming not out of a sense of obligation but because they sincerely want to help. At least, this seems to be the case with the case worker that has been assigned to him, who regularly helps him out with fixing the house and teaching him to do his own cooking, budgeting and grocery, with the money that he has gotten from his parents' insurance. He has gotten this far in learning to analyse someone's character, in part due to his experience in being a World Saviour in that alternate realm….those days seemed to be so unreal and disconnected to him now, just as disconnected as the fact that his parents are gone, and that he is all alone.

But despite the helpfulness of his case worker, he is painfully aware that if nobody takes him in within 6 months, he will be forced to leave this house and taken into an orphanage. He has heard countless stories of the horrors of those places. But he can't really do much and can only hope for the best: after all, that's the only weapon he has that allowed him to survive in that alternate world full of evil monsters and overlords, and he had survived and defeated them all.

But he can't help but wonder if it will be enough to let him survive in his own world.

* * *

The sound of the doorbell broke the silence of the afternoon, as he was preparing for the night's meal.

"Coming!" he shouted, as he raced to answer the door. "Ayaka-san? Aren't you supposed to visit me tomorrow?"

"Awwww, Wataru-kun. Don't be mean," The young lady at the doorstep cheerfully teased, "Don't you want me anymore? Or would you want a different case worker instead?"

"No, no, I didn't mean it that way! Of course I'd rather deal with you and you know that!"

"Oh you're so cute as always," said Ayaka, who motioned to her companion beside her. "By the way, the reason why I'm here is because this gentleman beside me wants to talk to you about something important. It's about your parents' will."

"My Mom and Dad's….will?"

"Yes," Positioning herself between the two parties, she started the introduction. " This gentleman beside me is the solicitor and executor of your parents' will, Atty. Kazuto Amagi. Amagi-san, this young man is Wataru Ikusabe. Hope you two can get along!"

"A pleasure to meet you, young man," Amagi said calmly while handing out his business card to Wataru, who likewise accepted it, yet not tearing his gaze away from either Ayaka or him. _Not really sensing anything sleazy about this guy,_ Wataru thought, _but I'm not quite sure at this point if I can trust him._

"I know it's not exactly in the best taste to make a comment about it, since you have just lost your parents, but I hope you can indulge me in letting me say that you seem to be holding yourself pretty well."

"Thank you for the concern. Right now, all I can say is that I am doing my best."

"That's well and good," said Amagi, as he pushed his spectacles back with a thoughtful look. "There's actually a lot I have to tell you about your parents will, and it will be best if we can discuss it inside, if you don't mind."

"Oh, I don't mind but I haven't fixed the house yet, much less serve anything since I haven't gotten to cooking anything yet," Wataru said with a hesitant look.

"I'm fine with it. I won't be staying that long," said Amagi.

"Oh," Ayaka piped up, "and if you don't mind, I'll just take care of looking for something to serve while you two gentlemen talk, okay?"

"Well, okay…"

As Ayaka served the tea that she has gotten from the kitchen, along with the hand made dango that she usually brings with her during her weekly visits, Amagi wasted no time and handed an envelope to Wataru. "It will be best if you can read for yourself everything that your parents have written down in that will."

The young boy took the envelope and read through the documents contained within. Sure enough, there was the usual part of requesting the solicitors to take charge of his trust fund, and every other bit contained in a typical parent's will for their offspring. But what caught him off guard was the third page. It took him for such a huge shock, that he literally jumped out of his chair and went, "NO WAY!"

"Just the reaction I'd expected", Amagi commented. "That's why I let you read it first, because you would not believe it if I read it out to you."

"I also felt that way when I read that, Wataru-kun," said Ayaka with a concerned tone in her voice. "It's simply unbelievable."

As if his parents' death was not unbelievable enough, yet another seemingly impossible thing showed up in the middle of nowhere. There, unmistakably bearing his parents' signatures, the documents plainly stated the following:

… _.and in the event that nobody from our immediate family or a Japanese citizen will be taking our son Wataru into custody, we are authorizing Rachel Marnier, a native-born citizen of Vancouver, BC, Canada and is currently residing in Tokyo, Japan, to take legal guardianship. We are also authorizing her to make a decision on his matters, such as domicile, living arrangements and education. She will also be bound by this will to provide and care for him in the same level as we, as his parents, provide and care for him._

Although he was quiet, both Ayaka and Amagi can sense the great turmoil within Wataru, as he stared at the documents with unsteady, quivering eyes.

"I can't blame him for reacting that way," Amagi spoke up, "Even I am surprised that a Japanese parent would actually let foreigners be the legal guardians of their offspring. Although I'd dare say that it's not unheard of."

"It's not just that," Ayaka chimed in, "It's obvious that he doesn't know who this Rachel person is. Just the thought of you being given away to a person you don't even know: even I will find it hard to accept that!"

Since the people around him had taken care of speaking out the words that he was so painfully struggling to let out but couldn't, he just passively stared at the documents as Amagi continued, "Of course, Wataru is already in the capacity to decide whether or not he should accept the will. But we should at least let him meet with Rachel-san to help him decide. By the way Wataru,-kun, Rachel-san will be seeing you in the Child Welfare office this weekend so you can at least get to know her. And it seems that she has a lot of things to tell you as well. Particularly about your parents."

"I know that this is all so sudden and we can't blame you if you will reject the will," Ayaka chimed in, "But we had already arranged your meeting with Rachel in our office so that at least it will help you ease your mind somehow that you will be meeting her in a Japanese government office."

"I'm sorry….but I need time to think it over."

The two adults stared at each other. They may have received a far less violent reaction than expected, but considering everything, they have decided to call it a day and leave him be to have his own space. After all, this will be about his entire future.

"If you have decided, or if you need anything, you have my mobile number. Just call me anytime, ok?" Ayaka said, as she and Amagi stood up and left.

The two adults didn't mind not being seen off at the door, since they are well aware of the shock that the news they brought had generated. They deemed it best to let him be and quietly left, while the dango and the tea that was served was still lying on the table, untouched.

The young boy could only bury his face into his hands, gobsmacked by everything that came to him.

 _What the hell is going on?!_

* * *

Saturday, at the Central Prefectural branch of the Child Welfare services.

Deciding that he had nothing to lose at this point, Wataru had decided to meet up with the person that was indicated in the will that is going to be his legal guardian. Ayaka and Amagi had willingly taken him to the branch, with Ayaka prepping him up with what to expect with his meeting.

"And with what I heard from our background check, she seems to be a real big shot! She is one of the directors of the Wellston House in Shibuya!"

"Wellston House?"

"Oh, right, of course you don't know. Wellston House is one of the biggest fashion outfits in Tokyo right now. They actually brought in Rachel-san from Canada to up the competition! And looks like it will since she has won so many awards within the span of her career!"

"Wow….seems like she's quite the big shot. Makes me a bit scared now."

"Why, Wataru-kun?"

Looking at the scenery outside the office window, Wataru mused on how he will say it before replying, "I'm not quite sure now if she will readily accept someone like me. I trust that my parents think she may be capable, but….with people like her….she may think I am not good enough for her."

Ayaka fell silent for a few seconds before finally replying, "It's understandable that you think that way. But I'll let you in on something….Rachel-san also thinks the same way."

"What do you mean by the same way?"

"The same way that you're afraid that you may not be good enough for her; she also has her own misgivings that you may not accept her fully as your new mother. I think it just shows that although both of you may not know each other personally, you both in some ways, want to honour your parents' will and to give each other a chance. So I really do think that you will get along just fine. That's just my opinion, though."

Sighing, the young boy continued with his inner musings as they trudged along the corridors of the hallway. _I'm not even sure if I can trust this person. But I guess, the only way to know if I can is if I get to at least see her._

"Here we are. Are you ready?"

Staring at the door with trepidation but with a determined look, the boy nodded.

Amagi knocked at the door and said, "We're coming in!"

"Please come in," a voice said from within.

The two adults lead the boy inside one of the office's meeting rooms, which was a homelike set up with cushioned sofas, appliances and curtained windows, presumably set up to make the occupants at ease and make conversations and transactions a bit easier. Wataru's gaze, though, was led to the figure silhouetted by the bright daylight outside; and his gaze was met by a pair of gentle, blue eyes who had the same trepidation as he is on this first meeting.

"Wataru-kun, this is Ms Rachel Marnier, the one indicated in your parents' will to be your guardian. Rachel-san, this is Wataru Ikusabe. It took some time, but we finally found him."

"It's a pleasure to meet you at last…Wataru-kun."

 _There I was….standing in front of this beautiful foreign woman….the woman who my parents supposedly said will be my new mother once they are gone. There are so many things that I don't know, and so many things I am not sure of….will she be able to answer them?_

 _And can I trust her?_


	2. You are the Saviour(Part 2)

I know it's an unusual choice, but I have been listening to Yuki Kajiura tracks whenever I write out this story. For some reason, they increase my creativity, far though may be the tone of the source work of the soundtracks to the show I'm making this fic from. Or maybe it just matches the kind of tone my story will take in the future chapters? (hint, hint!)

* * *

As with all meetings of unusual circumstance, the two parties searched through each other with uneasy gazes, looking for any indication from their exterior appearance that can give a sign of trustworthiness, but both don't seem to find what they were looking for, aside from the fact that both of them seem to be stricken that the other was a bit more good looking than what they initially thought them to be.

Breaking the deadlock between them, Ayaka spoke up, "Oh my, it seems that you have a lot to say to one another! Maybe we should leave you be for the time being so you can talk in private, don't you think?"

Snapping out of his reverie, Wataru uneasily replied, "Ah! Er….A…Ayaka-san, well…. It's not that I don't trust her, but I'm not quite sure if I can talk to her without someone I know beside me."

"He's right", Rachel spoke up as well, "I really want him to be as comfortable as possible, especially that this is literally the first time he saw me."

Amagi did his trademark push on his glasses as he said, "We appreciate your concern, Rachel-san, but as according to how we Japanese do things, it's best that we outsiders stay out of private family matters."

"He's right," Ayaka spoke up, "Besides, you need some alone time together since Wataru will be staying with you for a long time. Don't worry though, Wataru-kun. We actually have some undercover police around the premises, so rest assured that if anything happens, we still have your back. Okay?"

"All right…."

Ayaka and Amagi promptly motioned to leave the room, with Ayaka staying behind for one last time, as she said,

"Good luck, Wataru-kun."

As the two left the room, the young boy and the foreign woman once again, did an uncertain stare at one another, unsure of what to say to one another. Finally deciding to take the initiative of starting a conversation, Rachel spoke up, "You know what? I actually am surprised about how much cuter you are in person than in photographs and videos."

The boy blushed and looked away shyly as he said, "The same goes with me. I'm really surprised that the person who's supposed to be my new mother is so….so beautiful."

And it is easy to see why. Her gentle blue eyes were just part of her overall appearance. Her well-chiselled facial features, framed by her auburn hair, and further complemented by the curves of her body that is still showing through her professional work wear: it is no wonder that the boy was so taken aback by her appearance.

"Why thank you," said Rachel. After saying this, she took on a more sober expression before continuing, "And also…I think it's a good thing that those two had left us alone. I can tell you the most important things you need to know a lot sooner."

"What do you mean?"

Falling silent for a few seconds. Rachel gathered all of her momentum in saying the following matters of utmost importance, before finally letting it out, "It's time that you need to know everything that is happening and will happen to you…."

…"Kyuseishu(World Saviour) Wataru."

The boy jumped out of the chair and stood up; shocked that someone that's supposedly from his own world would know who he was. "Tell me!" he demanded, "Are you….are you from Shinbu-kai?!"

Rachel snorted a little as she said, "Relax. I am from the same world as you are, Wataru-kun. And I am not your enemy either. Let's just say somebody has told me and my agency of everything about you."

A lot more questions had flooded his mind when Rachel mentioned that she is from some sort of "agency". But at this point, he deemed it best to go along with the flow and find out as much as he can. Settling down on his chair, Wataru looked directly into her blue eyes once more as he said in a serious tone, "Please, Rachel-san. Tell me…."

"…who are you, and what's this "agency" that you are talking about?"

Rachel straightened up as she said, "Bear with me, since this is going to be long. Although I can say that all of what I'll tell you is the reason why your parents have decided to have this kind of instruction in their will."

The boy nodded.

Reaching into her breast pocket, she brought her wallet out….and showed him a badge that he has not seen before. "This is the agency that I am from."

Letting Wataru take it and scrutinize it closely, he stared at the writing and the logo. "A….C…..E…..F?" He said, as he tried his best to read out the Roman lettering on the badge.

"That's right," Rachel continued, "That's for "Agency for Children of Extra-terrestrial Finding". Despite the name, it's not just children but all kinds of people of extra-terrestrial origin or contact that we assist. The public may not know or even acknowledge this, but there ARE otherworlders who manage to find their way into our world, and more often than not, they all fall into the company of the wrong people and worse, get exploited by both criminal organizations and amoral government officials. The agency was formed by NASA, with the help of other international agencies to keep that from happening. We actively seek out these people, whom we label as the "Light Children", so that we can help them adapt to this world; by providing them with the knowledge, skill and documentation to survive."

As he handed Rachel back her badge, Wataru said, "I'm not really quite sure how that will explain how you got to me."

Rachel placed her wallet back in her side pocket before she continued; "I'm very sure the name "Toraoh" is familiar to you, right?"

 _Toraoh?!_

Once again jumping out of his chair, Wataru went, "Toraoh is here?! But how…"

"The ACEF actually found him in Los Angeles. Apparently, he was trying to get to you because he wanted to warn you about some kind of danger in that alternate realm. I heard that he mentioned that the said danger has spilled over into this world as well, and is targeting you. Of course, he has become aware of the danger of just going out on his own to find you, so he agreed to stay in the care of the ACEF's main HQ and let us find you instead."

"I can't believe it…"said Wataru, as his large, dark eyes are quivering, "Toraoh is in this world….MY world….through all this time?"

The boy sat down as Rachel continued, "We actually have a system in the ACEF whenever there is a Light Child that needs assistance in surviving in this world: there will be a handler, or "Herald" as they are labelled, who will be assigned to the said Light Child. And they decided that you will be the first Light Child to be assigned to me."

"It took a whole year for me to locate you, since we have to send all records and surveillance photos to the Main HQ just so that Toraoh can help us ID you. And once we did find where you are, the first thing I did was to talk with your parents and told them everything about you. They won't believe me at first, of course, and that added to the challenge of placing you under the ACEF's protection. The only time that they believed me, was when _they_ started attacking your parents."

"What do you mean, they?" the boy asked.

"Neros."Rachel wore a bit more sombre expression as she continued, "They are the long-time nemesis of ACEF. Their main purpose is to wipe out humanity, and they believe the Light Children will help them reach their goals. That's why they are so eager to get to any Light Child that they can find, and it's of utmost importance that we get to the Light Child before they do."

"Apparently, they have sniffed out that you are a Light Child and they tried to get to you by attempting to take your parents' life. It's a good thing that I was there and managed to stop them. And at that point, they have decided that everything that I told them is true, and have agreed to have you placed under my care, although as you have seen in the will, they have set up certain conditions."

Suddenly, it all came back to Wataru. That night when his parents came home very late and were acting a bit strange. They tried their best to hide it from him but being the smart child that he is; he already knew that something is going on. Slowly, everything is falling into place.

"They still refused to let me see you, since apparently; they will only let you be placed under my care if anything happens to them. They even refused the ACEF's offer to have all three of you be placed under their care. I really can't blame them though, this is your parents' hometown, and they can't bear to go anywhere else, despite knowing that they are already in danger."

"Tell me…." Wataru spoke up at last, "That accident…..that was not an accident, right?"

With a grim expression, Rachel nodded and looked down. "It may not be the right thing to say but….Wataru-kun…..I hope you can forgive me, forgive us….for not knowing of Neros' attempt to take you any sooner."

A long, hard silence permeated the room as the boy hung his head low, devastated by everything that was revealed to him. Especially that his parents died, just because of his status as a Light Child. "Neros may have taken you as soon as you parents have died, but we have reached out to you in just about enough time to stop that from happening," said Rachel.

"This is too much…this is just too much," he said at last. "I'm sorry, but I have to think it over."

"You will be needing space of course, and I respect that," said Rachel. "Although I would wish that you'd come to a decision soon. Not only because your life is in danger, but also…also because your friend Toraoh is still waiting for you all this time in the Main HQ."

"I'll keep that in mind." Saying this, the boy stood up and left the room.

As Ayaka and Amagi greeted him in the hallway, Rachel stared thoughtfully outside the window, musing on how the boy looked when all of what he needed to know was revealed to him. _He's bearing this quite well for a child, but something in his eyes just tells me that he may not keep this up for long._

 _I can only pray that if he does give out, I will be there to help him._

* * *

Crouching in his bed that night, the boy laid on his side and stared blankly at the wall, overwhelmed by everything that was revealed to him. Suddenly, everything is not as disconnected as it was before. Everything fell into place as he realized how fast his past as the Kyuseishu is catching up with him in his own world. Although he is aware that he needs to make a decision, there is still this part of him that refuses to acknowledge everything. And it's driving him mad.

Clutching his dark brown hair, he let out a voiceless scream.

 _What am I gonna do?_

 _Somebody, please….please tell me what to do…_

 _Ryuujinmaru…._


	3. You are the Saviour(Part 3)

The following days seem to fly by without any incident. Yet, there is still a lingering air of foreboding, as if any minute now, this peace will suddenly be taken away at a moment's notice. The only thing he could do, though, is to stare straight ahead and pay no attention to the stares of the people around him, who apparently had caught wind of the recent development in his life. But it is to be expected in the prefectural suburb that he is in right now: a lot of his countrymen are not comfortable with the idea of a native Japanese child like him being adopted off to a foreigner. He could only stare at the other schoolchildren his age in envy; those who are wearing the sailor suits and gakuran of the public middle school of his place, at least. Life has continued with them, and it's as if he has been forced into a standstill. Still, it cannot be helped: there is no one to finance his schooling anymore, and if things stay the way as they are today, he will be forced into an orphanage for real; something he hoped that there is a third option he could take to escape this route.

As he walked home from his routine grocery trip, he was still in his reverie when suddenly; a sudden surge of a strange, pulsating sensation stopped him in his tracks. It was so strong, that it stunned him for a few seconds. _What….what WAS that?_

It was a strong pulse of energy. A strong, _evil_ energy. This was the kind of energy that he felt whenever he was facing the various final bosses of the alternate realm that he saved three times in the past, but this was also different. The evil in this energy is on a far more virulent level, so virulent that it was almost paralyzing, that the only part of him that he can move as of the moment are his eyes, as he frantically searched the source of this energy. But he can't see anything at this moment.

A muffled rumbling made itself felt behind him, and slowly, he looked back, fear glazed over his large, dark eyes as the malevolent presence grew stronger, and its approaching sound becoming louder and clearer. His mind is screaming for him to run, but his legs aren't responding, as if they are frozen solid to the ground.

And it came.

A loud explosion had spread in that section of the road and as the debris cleared; the boy has already jumped out of the way; as his survival instincts that he had gained as the Chosen One of the other realm kicked in and propelled his legs to do an almost superhuman jump. He had no time to think about the groceries that got destroyed in that explosion, as the source had shown itself from the clearing of the debris:

A large, horrendous monster; a nasty, alien creature with several rows of teeth and streaming saliva, with glowing red eyes that set upon him as its next target. A creature that seems to be out of a nasty horror movie, but a lot more frightening, as it is real, and is intent on only one thing: destruction and carnage.

A frantic chase ensues as the boy ran away from the main road into the woods area, intending to lead the monster as far from human living spaces as possible. Knowing that he had no chance of outrunning this fast creature, he tried to buy time by zigzagging through the trees, knowing that by hitting headlong into them, the monster will be slowed down, buying him enough time to escape.

But things did not go according to plan, as the monster apparently wasn't slowed down and has caught up with him in no time.

 _Shimatta!_ (Crap!)

The monster had caught him in its claw and proceeded to let its projectile tongues hang out, the digestive acid of its saliva dripping down, the potent of its acid making itself felt by producing a nasty hissing sound as it hit the pavement and dissolved the gravel that it came in contact with.

 _Is this the end?_ He thought, as the tongues slowly made its way towards him.

A loud banging sound pierced and overtook the monster's animalistic growls, echoing throughout the woods.

Without warning, the boy found himself falling to the ground, and the next thing he knew, the claw grip that held him a while ago has been blown off, and the monster let out a fearful scream. He threw his gaze at where the blast came from. He found himself staring at the barrel of an ominous-looking bazooka, held by the person he least expected.

"Rachel-san?!"

True, it was the woman he met at the Child Welfare office some days back that is holding this mighty weapon. She has discarded her office wear for a more battle-ready rugged corduroy pants and a long trench coat, making her look more of an SP operative than the unassuming office head that he met a while back.

The surprises don't end there. Pointing her bazooka downwards for a while, she hurled a long object into his direction. "Take this, Wataru-kun!"

The boy caught the object, and when he got to look at it, he saw that it was a sheathed sword, one that seemed to be crafted for the use of someone his size. "This is…"

"Use that to defeat the Revenant!"

"Revenant?!" The boy let out a confused daze. "Rachel-san, I don't understand! I…I don't have any powers in this world! There's no way that I can defeat that thing!"

"You have to! You're the only one who can!"

They had no time to continue their argument as the monster had regenerated the limb that Rachel had previously blown off with her bazooka and regained its second wind. Both of them frantically ran, desperately thinking of a way to stop the Revenant, which is now on an all-out rampage, tearing down anything that comes in its path, living or non-living.

 _Why?! Why do these things need to happen? WHY?!_

 _I don't want to fight anymore!_

The answer came to him when suddenly, the raging beast caught sight of a random little girl who just happened to be playing on the cemented pavement beside the river. As the beast was about to lay its hands on the said little girl, who can only scream in horror…

Something in him was stirred….

Driving him to unsheathe his sword….

As the little girl slowly opened her eyes, her gaze was met by the sight of Wataru's back, as he was blocking the monster's claw with his sword. Mustering up all of his strength, he pushed the monster back and started to trade blows with it.

As the boy and the beast were locked in a death match, Rachel wasted no time in leading the little girl to safety. Placing the girl in the safety of her car, Rachel joined Wataru as they took turns in delivering blows to the raging beast. Finally, their joined efforts paid off, as Rachel's bazooka had hit the beast's weak spot, giving Wataru the chance to deliver the killing blow and thrust his sword right thru the Revenant. With a terrifying scream, the Revenant fell to the ground, finally defeated for good.

As the two of them gathered their breath, Rachel thoughtfully stared at the boy, whose face and clothes bear the splatter of the Revenant's body fluids. Although the entity that he had just slain is definitely not human, and it had to be put down for the safety of the general public, she can't help but wonder, and fear, that the next splatter he will receive might come from someone human. But she knew better than to waste time on such hypothetic thoughts as she approached him, and with her constant supply of special-solution wet wipes, gently wiped his face of the green splatter.

"Are you OK?" asked Rachel.

The sudden cool feel of the wipes had a minor calming effect on Wataru, as he straightened up and met her gaze. "Yeah….I guess. Thank you."

"No problem," saying this, Rachel brought out her mobile and called up reinforcements, presumably to help them clean up the mess that the dead Revenant had left behind. Afterwards, she continued:

"That thing you defeated: that is a Revenant, one of the monstrosities that Neros has unleashed to help them achieve their goals. Apparently, that one was sent to capture you, but they also know that Revenants are hard to control, so it's a certainty that there's a Neros operative lurking nearby, waiting for a chance to get you. It's a good thing that I got to you before anybody from Neros did. I'm sure they have retreated for now, since they are discreet attackers."

Now that he had neutralized the threat of the moment, Wataru finally had time to study the weapon that was given to him more closely. True enough, it was definitely not in the style of the swords that the weapon-smith old man at the base of Soukaizan had been crafting for him. This one has its grip and blade in the style of medieval knight swords of his world's origin, albeit a bit more ornate.

"It may not be the same as the sword you are using in the alternate world, but it sure gets the job done. For starters, the materials used in that sword are sourced both from this world and that alternate realm,"

"You mean the stuff that this was made from is from Shinbu-kai?"

"Some of it," Rachel continued, "Your friend Toraoh had brought the ores from his realm, since apparently, crafted weapons from that realm cannot be brought into this world. Raw ores have to be imported and combined with the materials we had here to form a weapon fitting of a Kyuseishu, and crafted by the combined efforts of the best smiths of not only your native Japan, but also of some of Europe's oldest and finest smiths. All that effort had brought all of those gods of smithing a lot of grief; hence they had given it the name, _Dolor Deorum,_ The Grief of the Gods."

"Dolor…Deorum….." Wataru said slowly, getting his tongue accustomed to the name of his new weapon.

As they waited for the clean-up contingency, Wataru stared at the sword, then at Rachel. "Tell me…you said before that your agency shelters Light Children like me and Toraoh. But that means…shouldn't you be protecting us from stuff like this, and not made to fight?"

Rachel sighed and said, "Nothing really escapes you, eh?" Reaching out, she laid her hand on the hilt of his sword and said, "We protect those who do not have a capability to fight, that's true. But it's pretty obvious from what you showed today, and also with what the ACEF had seen from Toraoh so far, that both of you are capable of combat as much as experienced soldiers twice your age. And I believe I have mentioned previously that the reason your friend is here in your world is because the threat in that alternate realm has reached this world and is also after you. In cases like yours, the ACEF's role is to provide backup to the Light Children caught in situations that they HAVE to fight, making sure that they don't suffer as much as your average front-line soldier. After all, much as you have advanced combat skills, you still _are_ children. And that's where we Heralds come in."

Rachel let her hand go down and meet Wataru's, gently holding his hand as she continued, "I know it's too much of you to ask, but right now, I'm begging you to indulge me. Please, Wataru-kun…."

"Let me protect you."

Something in Rachel's pleading gaze stirred a long, deep-seated longing in the boy, as his large, dark eyes met the deep blue gaze of hers. The piercing reality of the sincerity of her plea had finally reached out to him, and it made its presence stronger as he looked at the little girl he saved earlier.

That was when he made the decision.

* * *

Again, the days flew by without warning, as the arrangements to formally place Wataru under Rachel's custody is put into place. As per the instructions in the will, the house that he grew up in will finally be sold off, and he will be moving in with Rachel in her condominium in Tokyo, which he heard initially was right in the heart of the ritzy Roppongi district. He will also be continuing his schooling in one of the universities in the area. Again, word has spread in his small town, especially with the incident with the Revenant, and as expected, they started treating him worse than a leper, despite the child case worker Ayaka's efforts to defend him and knock some sense into the townspeople. After all, he practically saved their lives. But at this point, he doesn't care that much anymore, since he is going to leave this town anyway.

But it was not all bad, though; his childhood friends Yumi and Shun had surprised him one day by sneaking into his now almost-empty house and delivering to him a memento bearing their classmates' well-wishing. Despite their parents forbidding them to see him, they went this far as to deliver the memento, and get to see him and talk to him for the last time before he leaves the town for good. At least, this was a good memory he won't mind bringing with him as he looks forward to his new life.

During his last night in his house, the house that he grew up in; he made some last minute checks on the boxes that contains the part of his belongings that he's going to take with him, and the other items in the house that will be given away. As he did a once over on his father's study, he noticed an envelope that was placed in its uppermost drawers. "I didn't notice that before," he said.

Taking out the envelope, he checked the contents. It contains a sheet of paper and a smartphone memory card. The sheet of paper read, "To Wataru", and that prompted him to take the memory card and slip it inside his mobile.

Seeing that there is a video file in the card, he wasted no time in opening the file and watching its contents.

True enough, he saw his father in the first opening seconds in the video. "Okay it's on. Hey, Akiko, say something for Wataru, will you? We may not have much time."

"Okay okay," and he saw his mother enter the video, and as usual, is putting up a tough front, yet he can tell that she already knew what will happen to them. "You know I'm not really good at this, darling!"

"Don't worry, I think he knows that, and he knows you're trying your best too," Saying this, his father turned to the camera and said,"Wataru, by the time that you watch this video, we may not be around anymore. I know it will be hard for you, and we can only do so much to protect you, but unfortunately, your mom and dad are only human, and you're up against something bigger and more powerful than anything else that we may have imagined. But saying that, I wanted to tell you how much we love you, and how proud we are of you."

The boy watched the video in complete silence as he saw his father continue to speak while his mother had stayed silent in the background, trying her best to hold back her tears. "We have heard everything from Rachel-san. How you have been transported to that other world and how hard you have fought as its Chosen One, despite being a child. I could not imagine everything that you have undergone, and what's more remarkable, is that you have done all of those heroic feats without our help. And most of all, you have succeeded in bringing peace to that other land, and meeting all of those wonderful people, all because your mother has raised you well."

At that point, his mother can't hold her tears back anymore and said, "It's not just me! Your father has been doing his best to raise you well too. Now I feel guilty that all I did was nag you around while I could have tried being nicer to you. And now, it had come to this…"

"We may not be around anymore, but I can tell you this: Rachel-san has proven herself to be a trustworthy person, and I am very sure that she will take care of you when we are gone. Please keep in your mind and heart everything we had taught to you in the past 12 years of your life, and make sure to bring them with you, even if you're living a new life with Rachel-san."

"Just make sure that you'll be a good boy to Rachel-san!" his mother spoke through her tears in her trademark bravado, "If I learn that you are giving her a hard time, I swear, I'll come back from the afterlife and give you a good spanking!"

It's only at that point that Wataru had realized that his parents had captured this video while they were preparing for that fateful night, the night that he will be last seeing them alive. And how it connected to the reality of his own fate as a Kyuseishu. It finally reached out to him….and closed the gap of the disconnect with his own reality.

It started out with a few drops from the sides of his cheek. Then from the inner sides of his eyes. Finally, all of his tears flowed freely, and with it, his agonized wails and sobs, as he lay on his bed and clutched hard at the sheets. With the walls of his childhood home being the only witness to all of this, he let it all out...

* * *

"Good luck, Wataru-kun," said Ayaka, as she saw him and Rachel off the next morning. Rachel is now in the driver's seat of her car with Wataru beside her, who is now all dressed up and ready to go. Having let out his pent up emotions last night, he is now in a comparatively calmer state than he was before. Behind them, two moving trucks were loading the boxes from within the house: one will be bearing the belongings that Wataru will take with him to Rachel's place in Tokyo, and the other will dispose of the other contents of the house, to be sold off to second-hand stores.

"Thank you, Ayaka-san. Thanks for everything you've done."

"No problem. And please don't forget to give me regular updates on how you're living in Tokyo, okay?"

"Yep, I'll be regularly texting you."

"I'll be looking forward to your reports." Turning to Rachel, Ayaka said, "Rachel-san…I may not fully understand what's going on with Wataru, but I have this strange feeling that whatever he's going through right now, you're the person that he will be needing the most. The most that I can do now is ask you…to please take care of him."

With a determined look, Rachel declared, "I swear right now, within my whole power, I will take care of him."

And saying their final goodbyes, Rachel had started her car and started their journey to her home base in Tokyo.

Ayaka took one long, final look at the car before it disappears into the curve in the next road.

"I pray that you both may find happiness in each other…Wataru-kun…Rachel-san."


	4. You are here with me(Part 1)

I actually have some misgivings about how Wataru and Toraoh have been conversing when I write this chapter, in particular that they might end up sounding like miniature adults, with the way of my vocabulary usage. This is understandable with Toraoh, though, since he's practically forced to become a miniature adult with his position as a child king who is ruling without a regent, but not so much with Wataru, who has no reason to be so. If any of you kind readers think likewise, shoot me that feedback in your reviews.

* * *

"You mean….we'll not go to your place yet?"

"That's right. Part of the ACEF's agreement with your friend is that once I got a hold of you, I am to bring you to him. Since you're that world's Chosen One, he needs to tell you about the situation in there."

As the car drove past the toll gate that leads into Japan's capital, Rachel spared no time discussing with Wataru the details of everything that they will do in the next few days. For today, they will be staying in a hotel while their belongings will be forwarded to Rachel's condo unit. On the very next day, they will be sent to a special flight in the International Airport's VIP bay, the bay reserved for international dignitaries. Apparently, Rachel, or the ACEF agency, had pulled strings to fast track the processing of the needed travelling documents and passport for Wataru to accommodate this flight, much to his surprise and bewilderment when he asked about them.

Since he's not yet seeing any reason not to, the boy decided to just go along with the ruse and made up various yarns about their sudden international flight in his messages to Ayaka. As Rachel told him, the base is actually hidden beneath the UN Main HQ in New York, so he used the location to make a story about going to the international registry and going sightseeing with Rachel at the same time. As expected, Ayaka's responses are quite enthusiastic.

It all happened so fast for him. One moment, he was boarding the VIP flight; the next thing, he's now at perhaps the largest airport he has ever seen in his life. He would have been overwhelmed and lost if not for the fact that he and Rachel are riding the VIP flight and has a dedicated exit bay, with the obvious purpose of avoiding the chaotic rush of the standard flights typical in a day for the JFK International Airport.

"You okay?" asked Rachel, seeing that Wataru was sticking to her closer than usual.

"Uh…is it okay that I get this close to you? I mean…I could easily get lost and I don't speak a word of English."

Rachel snorted briefly, still amazed at how honest and candid he is. "You have a point. No, that's fine. Besides, the fact that you'll be my son now is no lie, in the legal sense."

"Your son…" as they got into and drove off in the car that was assigned to pick them up, Wataru mused on how he will say the following before he continued, "To be honest, I'm not quite sure how I being your son will work. I already have an idea from TV that I'll be more or less like a child assassin—minus me killing real people, I suppose—and you will be my handler, if I'm reading this right."

Again, Rachel was taken aback, as she did a sudden double-take.

"S-Sorry!" Wataru stammered. "I…I just don't know how I should put it!"

"No, it's not that," Rachel replied. _Japanese kids sure are scary. What on Earth are his parents letting him watch anyway?_ "But you know what? I also can't help but think that way too. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against you definitely, but given a choice, I will not consent to this kind of arrangement that your parents had enforced. You're right in the sense that I'll be your handler, and having that kind of arrangement between us will cause some complications in the future if you were to be placed in the ACEF. But that's what was what your parents demanded in writing, so I don't have much of a say in it."

"That's okay," said Wataru, with a sad look in his eyes, "I guess…taking in a foreign kid like me as your own is not something that you can do."

 _What in the world am I saying?! I'm digging myself even deeper!_ Rachel thought, as she struggled to say something that could ease his sadness, which is something that she had decided that he should have enough of already. "I'm….I'm not saying that I don't want you as my son. Far from it. What I'm trying to say is that, I don't want to put you in a position that anyone can easily take advantage of you, which I'm afraid this arrangement leaves you open to. I want to take care of you and protect you, and as much as I don't want you to and if given a choice, I will not allow you to; I have to let you fight, since you are the only one who has the power to neutralize the threat that is looming in our world and that alternate realm."

"Thank you for your concern," the boy replied, "The thing is, I don't know if I can neutralize the said threat. You do know that the battles in that realm require one to have a Mashin, right?"

"Yes, I heard that from your friend. Those giant robots that seemed straight out of your country's cartoons, right?"

"Sort of. And with what you told me before as well, Toraoh did not arrive in this world in his Mashin, right?"

"Why yes, that's right. Why did you bring that up?"

"That just proves it. Mashins cannot be brought over here just like the Kyuseishu's crafted weapons. If the said threat came from Shinbu-kai, I'm in a worse position now since I can't summon Ryuujinmaru."

"Good point", said Rachel, as she stared at the Manhattan traffic outside the window. "Even if we do host a paramilitary outfit and we have our own machines, if the threat is out of a fantasy world, our chances of success are not that clear. I guess the most that we can do is to support you with all of the resources the world agencies can offer to you as the primary combatant Light Child. And that support will be starting with me. Not just in providing you back up, but also to keep anybody from taking advantage of you. I know I still have a long way to go before you could trust me, but I just hope that…that you could just give me a chance to be your ally. I'm asking this, not as an agent from the ACEF, but as a human being who is simply concerned about a child who not only lost his parents, but also had something as ominous as saving the world forced upon his shoulders."

A long silence ensues as Rachel anxiously waited for a response. The boy was staring outside the window, but she already has an idea that he's not the type that is easily distracted by anything outside any serious issue that is presented to him at any given moment. This is the first day and yet, they had started off at a rather awkward note, and she is a bit concerned that this awkwardness will be a black mark in their relationship that threatened to persist throughout.

Finally, Wataru spoke up, "If anybody's trying to pull a fast one on me, I'll just deal with it. I still have doubts, but right now, you're the only one I could turn to. And I don't think it's a good idea to turn down any help that comes my way, especially since whatever evil force from Shinbu-kai has come into our world, they sure know I am the Kyuseishu and they will not let go of me that easily."

Rachel could see that the sad, lost look in his large, dark eyes is betraying the level-headedness that he is so forcibly trying to project in his voice. _He is expected to act tough, since he is the Chosen One. I just hope that I can gain his trust in time for me to be able to help him…in case that day comes…_

"Wait. Why did we stop at a dead end? Aren't we far from the UN Headquarters yet?" asked the boy, as he noticed that they had driven into a seemingly dead end. He was even more taken aback when suddenly; a wall suddenly rose behind them, totally closing them off.

"Didn't I tell you before that the ACEF HQ is underground?" Rachel reminded him, as the ground beneath them suddenly started moving downwards. Wataru can only stare in astonishment as he realized that they are now being led by an automated platform to a secret base.

"Some may think it's unnecessary, but we want to keep the Light Children we get custody of to be kept from the prying eyes of the public and those who may have less than noble intentions for them. We want to have a seamless integration for the ones that can be integrated into Earth society and for those who can't…let's just say the base is their sanctuary up until we can help them to find a way back to their original world."

"What about Toraoh?"

"As for your friend…he is a special case, since if you think about it, he's an exiled king; and as such, the ACEF heads are regarding him as an actual head of state and would want to cooperate with him as much as they can, so much that they went thru all these lengths just to find you. Although I am not quite updated on what's the current status of his dealings with the heads."

"He really is amazing," the boy said, his sad look replaced by that of concern, "I just hope he's doing well. He's so far away from his own world and his only brother. Even if he's quite strong…still, I know the feeling of having no familiar face to turn to. Is he fine with that?"

"You care so much for your friend," Rachel remarked, "You two must have gone through a lot together in that alternate realm."

"You have no idea, Rachel-san. You just have no idea….how important he is to me."

Rachel could only imagine what Wataru had gone through for him to hold the other special Light Child in such a high regard; but she has no time to think as their car has arrived at the entrance of their destination.

From the car through to the entrance and reception area, the boy could only let out vocal actuations of amazement as he took in the surroundings of the massive base. As Rachel showed him around, telling him of the various facilities and also allowing him glimpses of the other Light Child otherworlder residents of the colossal complex, he seemed to have become fairly comfortable and started asking questions not only to Rachel, but also to the other attendants and officials in the base who met up with her and are all too curious about the first Light Child that Rachel was assigned to.

"Okay Wataru-kun, you can stay in this room. I'll be reporting to my direct superior first, and also…we will be asking the people here to tell Toraoh that you're here right now, so he can meet up with you here and you two can talk in private."

"Okay, Rachel-san," the boy said, as he settled down in the meeting room's armchair.

"I chose this room since it has Japanese books in it. You can read those while waiting for your friend."

"Okay…see you later, I guess?"

"Yeah, see you around….Hope you and your friend would have a good time together."

And with that, Rachel left the room.

Sighing, Wataru stood up and walked around the room, searching the shelves for something to read. He managed to find one, and although his eyes are scanning thru the printed characters, his mind is definitely not prioritizing the contents. His thoughts shifted to the concern that his friend may or may not be in the base as they promised him to be; but he quickly shook his head. _Suspecting anyone won't help at this point. I need to trust them. It's the only way I could go on._

He doesn't need to wait long though. Even from afar, those familiar footfalls gradually made its way through the hallways, and finally, the door burst open as he jumped out of his chair, surprised by the sudden intrusion.

"WATARU!" A familiar voice yelled.

True enough, there he was. The pair of familiar deep blue eyes that have the same look of longing as he has right now…the familiar pointed ears and the small horn atop his thick crown of long, golden blond hair…the one that he was so eagerly waiting, who was so eagerly waiting for him as well, as can be seen from his heavy panting from running all the way to this room from what seems to be a great distance in this massive complex…

Wataru dropped the book he was holding, tears slowly forming over his eyes. "Toraoh…"

Unable to hold back, they both ran towards each other and caught each other in a tight embrace. Tears flowing freely from his eyes, Wataru held tightly to this part of his memory, afraid that this only thing that keeps him wanting to go on in his life will disappear as well. "Toraoh…you're real…you're not a lie or an illusion… _yokatta_ (I'm so relieved/happy)…" he breathed through his sobs.

"Yes, I'm real. I heard everything that happened to you," Toraoh responded, as he gently patted Wataru's back. "We're more or less in the same boat now. The only difference is that I still have my brother with me…and you have no one. It must be really hard for you…"

With the silence of the room as their only witness, the two sworn blood brothers savoured this moment that they can be together…perhaps the only moment that they can be…

* * *

As soon as Wataru had calmed down, the two friends had settled down and discussed the situation that they're both in right now. Toraoh had relayed to him everything that happened months after Wataru had departed from their world after saving it for the third time: There is an ominous force that had built up, and it was not like the evil forces that they have battled with earlier. It was a different type of force; but it was not the kind of force that can trigger the world's defence system that allows it to summon its Saviour. And because of that, it was far more dangerous, since it's not a force of evil.

"I heard the Oracle had called this force, The Vengeance of the World", said Toraoh.

"Vengeance of the World? What did Granny mean by that?" asked Wataru, with his usual manner of addressing the Oracle at the base of Soukaizan.

"I'm not quite sure of the details, but according to the ancient documents that the kingdom had gathered, it's triggered when the World itself—and I mean Shinbu-kai itself—had at some point decided that it had enough of the sentient beings living on it, whether human or god, and decided to end all life on it. And what's worse, for some reason, this will has extended all the way to the world of the Saviour. Now the World that you are living in has resonated with Shinbu-kai's will and had also decided to destroy humanity as well. I also heard that it did not happen by the World's own accord—someone, or a faction, may have triggered the Worlds to suddenly decide to off us all. Who that may be, that is something the Shinobibe Ninja Clan is still investigating as of the moment."

At the mention of the name Shinobibe, Wataru's thoughts drifted towards another old friend in the alternate world. "I wonder how Himiko is doing." He said. "Has she been the one reporting all this to you?"

"Nope," said Toraoh, "I heard that she is too busy with running the Clan as of the moment. Or maybe she has decided that she won't be my bride anymore, I dunno," he quipped with a chuckle, apparently trying to make Wataru smile in this serious discussion.

"Bride, huh…anyway, is that the reason why you went all the way here? And also, how did you get here? Is it thru the Divine Horse?"

"Nope. The Divine Horse is nowhere to be found. We have to find an alternate way to send people to you, so you can have the materials to make your new weapon delivered and have the means to fight back. At last, it was decided by the Oracle that it's me who should be sent since I have the strongest bond with you, and therefore, has the strongest likelihood to get across the dimensional border. To be honest…I was very reluctant at first, since there's no way I can leave Shoryushi on his own to run the kingdom, especially that our Lady Mother(1) is no longer with us. But what can I do if it's not only Shouryushi, but also Dongoro who insisted that I should go?"

"And so the Weapons Crafter has given me the ores that were used to make your sword, along with other items that I'll be giving to you later. Then, the Oracle had opened a gateway that allows me to pass through to your dimension…the only catch is that unlike the Divine Horse, the Oracle's gateway is not as stable and won't guarantee that I can reach the place that I am supposed to, which is directly to where you are. And so, instead of landing on right where you were, I ended up in this strange land, and you were nowhere in it. That land was so strange, that I was not sure if this was the right world."

"You mean in Los Angeles?" asked Wataru. "Yes, America is like worlds apart than Japan in some sense."

"That was quite a story in itself," said Toraoh with his trademark impish grin. "Do you want me to tell you all about it?"

Wataru gamely nodded. "I want to know what happened to you here in America. Everything."

"Sit back, this is gonna be a long story."

* * *

Footnote:

(1)Lady Mother: the closest approximation that I can get to "Haha-ue" which is how Toraoh and Shouryushi address their mother.


	5. You are here with me(Part 2)

And thus, the young king has relayed to the World Saviour all of his experiences when he first landed into the latter's world, starting with when he first stepped out of the portal. Of course, he was warned beforehand that there is no guarantee that he will land in the exact same place where the Saviour is, but he never expected that he will land in a strange land; a land which its appearance, people and language is so foreign that even he doubts if he has landed in the right world.

The first thing that he did is trying to ask where he is, but the people just gave him quizzical stares and random words in a language that he has not heard of before. But he did not expect things to get any worse when suddenly, a group of huge men in blue—which later on, he learned, were called the "police"—approached him and grabbed his sword. Seeing that it was a real bladed sword, the men tried to seize him, but his agile reflexes that he had gained from being a seasoned warrior prince had kicked in and drove him to grab the sword back from them and ran away as fast as he could. These situations call for him to use the Language Register spell that was retroactively taught to him by Shoryushi who had foreseen such contingencies, and also as an additional skill that he can use in case he needs to assume diplomat duties in the future; but as luck may have it, he had no opportunity to use it since it requires him to overhear two people speaking a particular language for about 30 minutes to fully absorb the speakers' brainwave patterns and learn the said language. So far, this entire episode has him running all over this strange place without any real opportunity to use the said spell.

And so he had spent the entire 48 hours from his first entry into this land walking aimlessly and avoiding as much people as possible, desperately trying to find where the Saviour is; learning later on here in the ACEF base that he had just traversed the entire stretch from Downtown Los Angeles right down south to a suburb named Carson. The sheer distance in miles will naturally wear out even someone like him with a body constitution similar to that of an _oni_ ; and realizing that he has no other choice, he had unceremoniously slipped in thru a window of one of the houses that he could find, intending to just get a quick meal and leave as quickly as he can.

But his limits had already been reached, and just as he was nearing the refrigerator, his knees gave way and fell in a heap, facedown. He didn't even had the strength to look up at the house's occupant, who had woken up from the commotion, as he lay down helplessly and just let everything go in its own course. _This has to be the worst way to end things. I'm so pathetic…._

But instead of trying to move him, he heard the two occupants of the house beside him, apparently having a loud discussion or argument over him. Slowly gathering the last of his energy, he finally used the Language Register to learn this land's language and at least know what's going on.

Slowly, the language is now taking root in his mind, as he can understand now what the two occupants are arguing about. One of them is a girl that sounds like she's around his age, and she is arguing with what he learned is her older brother. Both are arguing over whether they should take him in or turn him over to the authorities; apparently, the girl wants him to at least get something to eat since his lack of food is already very obvious at this point; while her brother does not trust that he is harmless and should just turn him in to the police. This was the point where he used the last of his strength, and speaking in their language, he wearily said,

"Excuse me….can someone at least feed me? I haven't eaten for days."

* * *

"Seriously, do you have an abyss inside your guts? That's your fifth sandwich!"

The siblings just stared helplessly as Toraoh demolished his way thru the sandwiches they prepared for him. Even if they're silent, one can tell from their flabbergasted expressions that they're thinking that he may be trying to rob them in this "distressed hobo" approach instead. But to their relief, as he gulped down the last morsel, he went, "That hit the spot!"

He had no time to relax when suddenly, he realized that the girl was tugging his ears and her brother was pushing his horn with his index finger.

With a surprised yelp, he withdrew back and went "What the hell was that all about?!"

The brother did another once-over on him before he declared, "Yep, they are real. Now I know that you're not just some _chuunibyou_ cosplayer crackpot and a real otherworlder."

"Chuuni…what? What are you talking about?"

"Of course you wouldn't know. You're lucky that we have seen enough fiction of our world about people like you and are not too jaded to be aware that you're not from our world. But you have all the time in the world to tell us who you are, no rush."

"And you were the one who wants to turn him in a few minutes ago!" his sister shot back. "I bet if he were more human looking, you wouldn't be giving him any second thoughts and call the police straight away!"

"Do you think I'm that shallow? That hurts, Kin!"

"Anyway," the girl said, as she turned to Toraoh, "it's just right that we at least tell you who we are and where you are in right now."

"For starters, I'm Kinesha. Kinesha Adams, but you can call me Kin. This is my brother, Derrick. It's just the two of us here, since both our parents had passed away and Derrick's the one who is singlehandedly raising me…" and thus she told him all of what he needs to know, apart from this country that he landed in is called the United States of America, or simply America, and he is in one of its major states, California..

"And that's who we are and what is this land that you are in right now."

"Is that so…"the boy got a little reflective when he realized that the siblings were in the same family situation as he and Shoryushi is right now, but didn't have much time to do so, as the brother, Derrick, spoke up: "Now it's your turn to tell us who you are."

"I don't know if you'll believe what I'll be telling you, though" said Toraoh, as he finally straightened up. "Basing on how your people had been treating me since I first landed here, it seems that you're the kind of people who don't recognize that a world other than yours exists."

"You could tell us. Then we'll decide if we'll believe you. Besides, I think the idea of those ears and horn of yours to be surgically implanted is a bit of a stretch."

"All right then."

The entire night was spent with Toraoh telling the Adams siblings all about himself, Shinbu-kai, Soukaizan, and the World Saviour Wataru; and the reason why he is in this world and why he ended up here. He also explained to them his Language Register skill when he was asked on how was he able to master their language so quickly. He showed his sword and all of his belongings to Derrick, who curiously scrutinized them; more out of interest in what an otherworlder's belongings look like rather than simply verifying if what was being told to him is true. And thus, Derrick ended up telling him that yes, he indeed is in the right world, but his friend Wataru is in a country called Japan, and that is far on the other side of the massive ocean in the West, and getting there will be a bit more complicated in Toraoh's case, since he is an undocumented alien and even getting a plane ride requires one to have documents.

"But I'll try to talk to people at my workplace. Maybe they know someone who can work around that. For the meantime, you can stay at our place and perhaps you can help us out around here. I know that it will take a little getting used to since you're royalty, but for the meantime, we'll just….humbly ask you to make do with what we mere mortals can offer."

"Think nothing of it," Toraoh responded, "Right now, all I can do is to be grateful that you have at least believed me and extended your hospitality to someone like me."

"O-Kay!" Kinesha piped up. "Now that's settled, you'll be staying here with us. But first…..um, don't be offended…but can you at least take a bath? The fact that you had walked endlessly for days is quite obvious with the way you smell right now."

"Now that you mentioned it," drawing up his sleeves and his collar and gingerly sniffing them, Toraoh grimaced and realized that his trek has taken its toll on his clothes on the olfactory side.

The Adams siblings chuckled as Kinesha said, "No objections. Take a bath now. I'll take care of your clothes."

* * *

As he took a much-needed shower in one of the house's bathrooms, the boy stared blankly at the showerhead, wondering how he can get to his friend as soon as possible. He knows that the siblings meant well but he had decided that he wants them not to be involved in Soukaizan's dealings as much as possible. _Wataru….I never knew that your world is a lot more complicated than I thought. At this rate, both our worlds are going to be in deep sh*t before I could even get to you. What now?_

"Hey….Tora?" Kinesha called from outside the shower. "Is it okay if I call you Tora? Your full name is a mouthful."

"Uh, yeah. I don't mind. Why?"

"It's just that I'm currently washing all of your clothes and I just realized that you don't have anything to wear tonight. I hope you don't mind if you wear some of mine since we look the same size."

"Wh-what?! You mean, girls' clothes?!"

"Sorry, Tora. It's just that Derrick's clothes are obviously too big for you. It's just for tonight. Derrick will buy you your own clothes tomorrow."

"What choice do I have?"

As soon as he finished his bath, the boy gingerly wore the clothes that Kinesha had left for him. Slowly emerging from the shower, he went into full view of the siblings with Kinesha's spare clothes on, crossing his legs in embarrassment since the short shorts he was made to wear is exposing his surprisingly well-curved legs a bit too much.

"What do you know? You actually look good in them!" Derrick said with another chuckle.

"You made me lose my confidence in myself as a girl, you know," Kinesha seconded, also with a chuckle, but with also a bit of admiration as well.

"Stop teasing me!" Toraoh yelled, his face beet-red with embarrassment.

"Anyways," said Kinesha, "our spare room is full of junk, so you won't be able to use it for the meantime until tomorrow. Hope you don't mind if you sleep in the living room for tonight."

"I've been sleeping anywhere in my world, so you don't have to worry too much about me." _Besides, I should be more worried about you since you might get dragged into this whole mess._

"Okay then," said Derrick. "I'll be keeping your stuff in my room for safekeeping. If you need anything, just call my or Kin's attention."

As the three said their respective goodnights, the siblings retreated into their respective rooms as Toraoh settled on the sofa, placing his hands behind his head. Several minutes passed, as both he and Kinesha tossed and turned in their respective sleeping places, deep in thought about what just happened tonight.

On Kinesha's side, she found it difficult to go to sleep any longer as she had decided two hours later to go to the kitchen to get something to drink. She also hoped that the stranger that they had just let in won't turn out to be what they feared he is, but so far, there's no sign of anything out of the ordinary. Except for a strange sound that came up when she made her way to the living room.

Curious what this sound may be, she listened for a bit longer when she realized that it was someone singing, and it was from the living room. _Is that him?_ She thought, as she made her way to the living room.

True enough, it was Toraoh singing. He found it a bit difficult to sleep as well, so he decided to sing away to at least put his mind at ease. Kinesha stopped for a bit as she listened, a bit surprised by how good his singing voice was.

 _Daremo yoberu koe mo todokanai  
Kataku tozasareta koori no sekai de  
Nani wo shinjitara ii no ka to  
Kooru yasashisa ga kaseki ni naru mae_

 _Atatakai kaze yawarakai kaze motome_  
 _Nobashita te ni hikari atsumete aoi tsubasa ni naru_

 _Aitakute PALE AND BRIGHT_  
 _Oozora wo PALE AND BRIGHT_  
 _Dokomademo tonde yuku yo_  
 _Todoke PALE AND BRIGHT_  
 _Kimi ni PALE AND BRIGHT_  
 _Kanashimi ga toketeku_  
 _Kimi ni tsuzuku SKY…_

A clap interrupted his reverie, and he looked back and saw Kinesha clapping her hands, admiration glazed over her eyes.

"Awesome! You should be joining those idol contests or something. You're gonna _slay,_ I'm telling ya!"

Flashing another one of those trademark grins of his, the blond boy sat up on the sofa and said; "You ain't seen nothing yet of what I can do."

"Mind if I sit beside you?" asked Kinesha.

"Be my guest."

Sitting on the other end of the sofa as an act of respecting his private space, the girl continued, "So you can't sleep either, huh?"

"Yeah. I didn't imagine Wataru's world to be so….so _complicated_ that I have to be cooped up here while the situation at our home front is getting worse by each passing moment."

"That's how it is in our world, unfortunately. But I'm still amazed that you haven't pulled something crazy yet at this moment, given that you have all those nasty looking weaponry that Derrick was looking at a while ago, and also those gnarly knives I saw in your clothes."

"Since you have trusted me this much, I'll let you in on something: If I'm still the way that I was years ago, THAT was to be expected of me, given that I used to be a Demon Prince. But I'm not a prince anymore: I'm a king. I've only realized now how much is at stake if I try to pull anything crazy, since once you're in this position, you pretty much can't live for yourself anymore."

Kinesha thoughtfully stared at the ceiling, then at Toraoh, wondering how crazy he was in his past and exactly how bad would the crazy things that he said he is capable of would be. Still, she was amazed by how a guy could actually bring himself to open up to a girl like her that he just met. "You know what, those things about yourself that you told me and Derrick? All that stuff about you being a…what's the word? Oh, a _construct_ personality of someone else that just got your own body? That is just too crazy to be made up. So at this point, I'll pretty much believe everything that you'll tell us. And something tells me that you're someone who _really_ needs a lot of help right now."

As she was speaking, the blond boy had curled up in a semi-fetal sitting position on the sofa, apparently trying to hide his flummoxed and embarrassed expression from her. "Kinesha…I don't know yet if Derrick will be successful in his efforts, but at this point, I want to thank both of you. You had not only taken in a complete stranger like me, but even trusted me and offered help, even if you don't know much about me."

"Think nothing of it," Kinesha replied, "Like they said, for every blessing that you get, we need to pay it forward. We're pretty much blessed that I and my brother could actually survive without our parents, and we couldn't have done that without the help of the people around us. It's just right that we help out others in need."

At the mention of Kinesha surviving with her brother on their own without their parents, his thoughts were flooded with recollections of him and Shoryushi trying to cope and survive without the guidance of their mother, and how the people around them were trying their best to help them. He felt that _something_ was trying to bring him and these people with him today together, as if an unseen force had pushed them to meet. He wondered if it had any connection to the current situation of Earth and Shinbu-kai, but his thoughts were interrupted when Kinesha said, "Hey Tora, can I ask you something?"

"Uh, sure."

"I hope you won't get mad but…I've been wondering this all this time. Please be honest. Tora….are you…" Kinesha fidgeted a bit nervously before finally saying,

"Are you really a guy?"

A long silence ensued between them for an entire three minutes before the question finally registered with Toraoh. And at the exact moment that it did, he let out a gasp as he went,

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"

"Well, it's just that you don't sound like a guy. Heck you don't even look like a guy. And also…"Kinesha's gaze made its climb from Toraoh's exposed legs all the way up to his body and face before saying, "…your body curves are a bit _suspect_."

"Get off me!" the boy yelled; his face in an even deeper shade of red than before. "It's YOUR idea to put me in girl's clothes!"

"Yeah, whatever," said Kinesha. "All I'm saying is just that you're too _cute_. Anyways, it's getting late. We better get some shuteye for tomorrow."

"You're all crazy, you people in Wataru's world!" saying this, the boy lied down and flipped to his side, facing the sofa's backrest. "Good night then!"

As Kinesha made her way back to her bed, she was taken aback that Derrick was awake through all this time and was waiting at her bedroom's door. "Hey!..." she said when Derrick spoke up,

"I heard everything. From his singing, down to your conversation."

"Don't tell me you're going "Siscon stalker mode" today, Derrick?!" Kinesha asked incredulously. "I told you to cut on those incest anime already!"

"Easy, Kin. We got an alien child king right in our household; of course I'll get curious as to how things will go. I just got to warn you…" as he said this, Derrick flashed a knowing grin, "ya better watch it or he'll end up as a thief like we feared; only, he'll be stealing not our stuff, but _something_ from you."

Kinesha snorted as she retreated back to her bedroom. "I just met him for a few hours, ya know! Now let's go to sleep. G'nite!"

As Kinesha shut the door behind her, Derrick shrugged and slipped back into his own room. _Even if we both have doubts, one thing we can be sure of is that this kid is a sign that things will only get MORE interesting from this point._

* * *

I kinda had a hard time translating my ideas into words this time, since I have to do some armchair research for the locales that I plan to put the setting in, and also watch and rewatch certain key episodes to make sure Toraoh is still in character while showing the progress of learning how to become a human AND a good ruler. And sorry fujoshi readers out there, I may be the only one but he doesn't strike me as the masculine "seme" type, perhaps because of the art of the last 2 seasons, but mainly because he still has that certain emotional vulnerability that doesn't make him cut for the seme role. More LA shenanigans to come next chapter.


End file.
